Helter Skelter

Merry posted a contest with a Beatles theme. She is asking readers to pick from a list of Beatles songs (all Paul songs, I notice) and write or draw a post based on that song. Well, Merry is my Beatles Buddy and this was hard to pass up.

I considered the songs listed and vacillated between Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and Helter Skelter. MSH would be easier I thought….but then I do love Helter Skelter and that song, in a twisted way, helped introduce me to the Beatles.

I was about 13 years old, I believe when I started liking the Beatles. My friend and I had listened to Ringo’s solo albums for a couple of years before this (my friend’s aunt’s records). I had listened to my aunt’s Beatles albums when I stayed with my grandparents once. But we were just casual about them. Oh the band Ringo used to be in.

This was all in 1976 when, as I said, I was 13. A friend and I were voracious readers. We both had seen the made for tv movie “Helter Skelter” that year and decided to read the book. We read all about the Manson family’s twisted interpretations of the Beatles songs. Helter Skelter in particular seemed sinister after reading what the song represented to the Manson Family. (I could go on forever about the whole Manson family thing, but that’s a whole post) We had to hear more of this song and these Beatles.

We must have borrowed the record album from the library because her aunt liked the mop topped early Beatles and although my aunt had this album I did not have access to it. Anyway, we fell in love with the Beatles and became lifelong fans. It didn’t hurt that there was a second smaller wave of Beatlemania that year as rumors swirled that the Bealtes might get back together for this or that charity or show. They had only broken up six years earlier.

Years later, I met another life-long Beatles fan, Miss Merry. We became fast friends bonding over the Beatles those first few months. We now attend Beatles related shows and got to see Paul McCartney live in concert together! He played Helter Skelter that night, too.

This summer we are going to see Ringo Starr and his All-Star Band. We can’t wait!

The song was written by Paul McCartney. It is one of Paul’s most rocking Beatles tunes. He puts loud almost heavy metal guitar in this song with a driving vocal, almost screaming, “Helter Skelter, we’re comin’ down fast!”

Paul has said that Helter Skelter is an amusement park ride in England and also means topsy turvy.

The song certainly takes you for a ride. From beginning to end this song rocks out. It also has one of the first fake fade out endings in rock. Give it a listen and take a wild ride courtesy of Sir Paul McCartney.

Nice post. As I was 13 years old when the “White Album” came out I remember myself and my best friend Wayne listening non-stop to the White Album for the entire weekend. As this was during the Summer Of Love and all of the rock bands were referencing drugs in their songs we were quite sure that Helter Skelter had something to do with LSD. Little did we know that was not the case.

That’s fantastic. I know my friend and I listened to this album so many times. How nice that only a few years difference, but both of us 13. Thanks so much for the comment. I think if I heard this when it came out I would have thought this song was about drugs, too. I also remember how odd I thought it was to have this on a 45 B-side to Got to Get You Into My Life in 1976. I still have that 45, sleeve and all.